Home improvements - WWYD?

shar46y

We have decided not to carry out any major work on our cellar, thanks in part to the advice from all you lovely MSErs :T We had our quotes from a couple of companies and decided it is not worth doing anything major. All thought it would be in excess of £10K to do the waterproofing-type work alone:eek: and since we just want a utility room down there and it is not too damp, they said not to bother as that sort of treatment would be overkill.

So now we have moved on to our next few items on our wish list and I am wondering what the more experienced home owners and renovators think is most "worth it"...

:idea:The first is to install a wood burning stove in the main reception room. In our old flat we had an open fire which we adored, would love to have another but thought that a wood burner would be more efficient. There's currently a contemporary gas fire with pebbles, it does look quite nice but just isn't cosy.

:idea:Next is to recondition our sash windows, there are two huge bays plus several others. All are in nice condition but several are stiff to open or painted shut, and there is at least one that rattles when it is windy. Thinking towards winter, we thought it would be good to get them sorted.

:idea:Then there's shutters for the two bay windows - I love the look of them - would they help keep the cold out when winter comes? Do they work with curtains?

:idea:Finally, we are thinking of reinstating the french doors from the dining room to the garden (some time in the past, they were partially bricked up and turned into a window). Right now we have to go all the way through the kitchen and garden room to get out to the garden.

Are any/all of these worth doing? Not going to do them all at the same time, as we need to save up first, but would be nice to be able to prioritise

Whoops, this turned into a mega-post! Thanks for reading, if you made it to the end!:p

bobhawke

1. Worth doing because you adored the cosy open fire.

2. Worth doing. Shouldn't be too difficult a job and shouldn't cost much.

3. Think I read somewhere that closing the shutters is as effective as having double glazing.

4. Bricking up french doors just seems like a waste of time and money to me.

All worth doing. It is a very similar list of things I need to do in my place whenever I find time.

k4kate

I think all of your plans would be worthwhile improvements on what sounds to be a period home. They are all things that will make the place nicer for you but also enhance the resale value. Plus they can all be done on a reasonably small budget. If the sash windows are simply painted shut this is probably a job you can do yourselves.

Arthurian

I think woodburning stoves are not as straightforward as open fires. Someone told me there's new legislation which means you have to have a flue liner which goes all the way up to the chimney pot now, to avoid fire risk, and you must use a HETAS engineer. I think it would be a good idea for you to click on "Search this forum" at http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=39 and search for "woodburning stoves" to see what complications there are.

shar46y

Thanks for the replies! It has been very useful:beer: Have discussed with OH and decided we will prioritise the sash window refurbishment so I'll start searching for companies today!

I've heard of Ventrolla (in magazines etc) but got the impression they are expensive? Would appreciate any recommendations.

sashman

shar46y wrote: »

Thanks for the replies! It has been very useful:beer: Have discussed with OH and decided we will prioritise the sash window refurbishment so I'll start searching for companies today!

I've heard of Ventrolla (in magazines etc) but got the impression they are expensive? Would appreciate any recommendations.

sash window workshop is an alternative, and I belive leveller on MSE also refurbishes sash windows

sashman